The Apprentice may not have been the first “audition for a job” show, but it definitely set the standard for all similar/copycat shows that followed. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
WWE Tough Enough (MTV)
“You’re cut”
This series actually predates The Apprentice, but the setup is the same – men and women compete for two contracts with World Wrestling Entertainment. Al Snow acted as the head trainer for all three seasons, with help from various other wrestlers. The show was a success from MTV’s standpoint, but from a wrestling standpoint, it didn’t really impact WWE that much. Of the six winners, only John Hennigan is active in WWE (as Johnny Nitro). Matt Cappotelli is still in the employ of WWE, but is recovering from a brain tumor. As for the other competitors, many dropped out due to injury or after discovering that pro wrestling was pretty damn painful.
Hell’s Kitchen US (Fox)
“Give me your jacket. Now get the hell out of my kitchen.”
An interesting note to this show is that in it’s original UK incarnation, the contestants were celebrities, who must have loved getting brow beaten by hot-tempered Scot Gordon Ramsay.
The US version featured two teams competing against one another to own/run their own restaurant. Like The Apprentice the teams are assigned tasks to perform. However these tasks are undertaken in order to receive a reward of some sort – the aspiring chefs must still cook a dinner service, which is what Ramsay usually bases his dismissals on. Also similar to The Apprentice, Ramsay is really the focus of the show – his impatience with the chefs and diners alike made this a must-watch show.
Rock Star (CBS)
“You’re just not right for our band”
Mark Burnett came up with yet another winning formula by smushing together elements of Big Brother, The Apprentice and American Idol to create the summer reality series Rock Star. OK, well, the Big Brother aspect didn’t work too well – noone really cared what happened in the “Rock Star Mansion”, but the other aspect – performance – really clicked. Maybe it had to do with the singers allowed to sing for more than 90 seconds, playing to the crowd and using instruments (something Canadian Idol is allowing for the audition phase next year). What helped make this show interesting though, was that there was a band (or this year, a “band”) looking for a new lead singer. The first season saw INXS hit the jackpot by picking Nova Scotian J.D. Fortune as a lead singer, as well as a hit single in “Pretty Vegas”. The second season saw another Canadian, Lukas Rossi, win the job as the front man for the “band” consisting of Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke, and whoever is currently standing in for Jason Newsted. Given that Lukas isn’t what most people would call “good”, it was a puzzling decision, but whatever. It was still good TV.
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the best (FOX)
I tried watching a couple of episodes, and I still couldn’t exactly figure out what was going on with this show. The premise is familiar – Virgin owner Richard Branson got a group of people and would pick a new employee from the lot of them. Stunts were involved, and some of them were inexplicable. Once, Branson said he was going to go over Victoria Falls in a barrel or kayak or something, and one guy said “yeah, I’ll do it too”. He got kicked out for either being a follower or an idiot. Possibly both. If you know what exactly that has to do with business other than being a really weak metaphor, then you probably loved this show.
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (FOX)
“Get the hell out of my office”
Rebel Billionaire was probably not helped by this Apprentice parody being on the air at the same time, on the same network. Also, it probably didn’t help that this show was more entertaining. But to be fair, that’s not saying much. Still, this wasn’t as brilliant as The Joe Schmo Show.
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (NBC)
“You just don’t fit in.”
Burnett and Trump tried to create a spinoff series featuring celebrated ex-con Martha Stewart, but unfortunately it meant that there were two hours of candidates running around New York performing tasks. And for me, it got really hard to figure out who was on which series, with the exception of Jim Bozzini, who shockingly treated the competition like a game instead of the “thirteen week job interview” everyone else did. It was ultimately his undoing, but he was the most entertaining part of the show because he refused to play by the rules.
Dream Job (ESPN)
“Clean out your locker.”
The idea behind this show was to find a new anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter. The host was Stuart Scott, and the judges panel included such notables as Tony Kornheiser, Woody Paige and “Screamin'” A. Smith. The tasks were surprisingly relevant – contestants needed to create scripts for highlight packages, interview athletes etc. For the third and final season, the contest focused on former NBA players who vied for an analyst position at the network. As a “job interview”, this was probably the show that actually made the best use of its tasks. Unfortunately, this made for a generally boring series, and certainly one that shouldn’t have aired at around midnight ET, when east coasters don’t care and west coasters are watching prime time shows.
These are just a few of the reality shows that share similarities with The Apprentice. I’m sure that you could think of a few others that owe something to Burnett and Trump. But the original is back on January 7, and Reality Dish will be watching and keeping you up to date with our analysis of the show. For now, come back tomorrow for more of Apprentice Week!
